HYDERABAD
July 28.
The Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, B.V. Mohan Reddy, has asserted that the Rs.1,000- crore phase-I of Krishna Drinking Water Supply Project would be completed by March 31, next year.

Addressing media persons here on Monday after taking them on a tour of city reservoirs- Himayatsagar, Osmansagar and Singur, the Minister, visibly upbeat with fresh inflows into the reservoirs, hoped the inflows would continue during the next two months with a promising monsoon this year.

Even if the inflows into the reservoirs would not be to the expected extent, the city would not face drinking water problem as 45 mgd of the Krishna waters would be brought to the city by April next year under the stage-I of Phase-I. He said 30 per cent of the work on the first phase had already been completed and officials had been directed to work round-the-clock to ensure the completion of the first phase within the stipulated time.

While the Government would give a grant of Rs.300 crores, HUDCO sanctioned a loan of Rs.350 crores and the remaining Rs.350 crores would be raised through term loans and bonds, he said.

The first phase would have a 116-km pipe line, six en route reservoirs at five places (90 ml capacity), pump houses at three places, pumping equipment and electrical sub-stations at three places. A review meeting would be held with the Metro Water Supply Board next week and an action plan would be prepared soon, he said. Meanwhile, the Minister said that the HMWS&SB sought an additional Rs.8 crore for laying new pipelines, to meet the additional expenditure on electricity because of pumping from Singur reservoir where the water level was not adequate to flow by gravity and other necessary works.

A high-level task force team had been constituted to check contamination of drinking water and 326 such cases had been identified and attended to, he said.

The new action plan to be prepared by September 1 would take into account all aspects, including maintenance and repairs to pipelines, borewells, replacing of old pipelines to check pollution etc., he said.

The Metro Water Board MD, M.G. Gopal, the Director (Technical) M. Satyanarayana, and other senior officials were present.